The first time I ate Fei fei Wanton Mee was when I was in secondary one. Those days, they were housed further up near to 80 Joo Chiat Place and one of my classmates’ father just happened to operate a motor repair shop opposite Fei Fei Wanton Mee. And it was during one day, we got back from the library and my mum gave him a lift back to his father’s shop and that was when he recommended it to us. My parents liked it a lot though I was quite taken aback, pondering how people would even consider it a gem because I used to think that wanton mee must have a slight sweetness in the sauce but yet a bowl at Fei Fei is all about the saltiness in the chilli and the oil.

The original Fei Fei Wanton Mee at 62 Joo Chiat Place

Fei Fei Wanton Mee can be eaten conveniently nowadays with joints all over the island. But like many other franchised food, the ‘quality drop effect’ is blatant. There may be an exception to the stall(no 72) that is 50 metres from the original stall(no 62) along Joo Chiat Place, I’m not sure. I remember the first time I had a bowl from their Bedok branch at Bedok Blk 16, it was similarly decorated with the thick noodles, red char siew and chilli sauce in the spoon but it was not the same quality for 1 reason: They don’t have long queues. You see, for stalls selling noodles, you really need the consistent flow of customers for sellers to justify turning on full fire under the pot. When it’s only the odd customer coming in to eat sporadically, it obviously doesn’t make much economical sense to boil the water/soup at maximum temperature right? You can be sure that’s how your noodles or dumplings taste only 50% of it’s potential shiokness.

Fei Fei Wanton Mee $2.50

The small bowl here will cost you $2.50 though I was told that most people go for the bigger bowl. From the way they react to my order, I might just be the first customer on that day to get the smaller bowl! Don’t be fooled by the 2 slices of char siew in the picture for there were a lot more(5-6 pieces) underneath the noodles though I must admit that I didn’t feel surprised when greeted by the 2 pathetic pieces of char siew because for $2.50, I can’t expect a lot from a ‘celebrity wanton mee stall’ right?.

My bowl of wanton mee was as oily good as before. I guess the distinct point of a Fei Fei’s wanton mee is all that oil/sauce below the noodles which has a subtle saltiness and when mixed with the chilli sauce and the noodles, can be quite delicious. It might be no coincidence that Hong Mao Wanton Mee which is just about 200 metres down the road also has quite oily wanton mee, I’m just guessing that they are learning from each other as the chilli sauce at Hong Mao also has that distinct similiar flavour and taste. The noodles are not translucent but fat here and has that floury texture. Some said it is QQ(al dente) but I consider it just a slight bouncier than normal ones. I guess the wantons are an essential part of Fei Fei wanton mee with the unique taste. Surprisingly, the wantons are wrapped using wanton skins which are a little bit translucent and the fillings have flavours that can boost the performance of any food you put them in.

The enchanting tale of Fei Fei Wanton mee had been told many times over but really and truly, it will be the one for you only if you dislike the sweetness in a plate of wanton mee. Of course the chilli sauce is quite shiok and the wanton quite good but alternatively, I think there are many out there with better char siew, dumplings, soup, noodles or chilli sauce that can thrash it hands down. Otherwise, for those who like your wanton mee to come in all that saltiness, then this would be a prized bowl.

Fei Fei Wanton Mee $2.50

Price: $2.50

Conclusion: Fei Fei Wanton Mee is a big wanton mee player around Joo Chiat area. Many aspiring stalls have opened since at places like Toa Payoh, Bedok and elsewhere. Those stalls are opened by brothers, sisters and relatives of the original owner of this stall. It was almost tragedy at other stalls for me as far my experiences are concerned. This is still the place to go for an authentic bowl of Fei Fei’s wanton mee. $2.50 bowl doesn’t come with soup though the soup has those porkish and ‘noodles’ flavour’ so it isn’t exactly something to die for. Though it might cost you $3.50 to have a decent bowl, don’t expect it to look like it is ‘meant for the king’ okay? The authenticity is in the sauce at the bottom of the noodles. If you like the oiliness and saltiness in your food, this will do very well for you.